Chapter 24: The 1982 Lafite

At first, He Haoxuan felt a bit guilty about making them spend so much money on this meal. But now, things were different—he was even considering ordering more expensive wine and dishes.

Because the dishes He Haoxuan ordered were so costly, the kitchen prepared everything especially for their table, and soon the food began to arrive. Lin Shaozhen was waiting eagerly for the servers to bring the dishes, hoping to catch He Haoxuan making a mistake so she could embarrass him. But all the servers brought out were delectable dishes—no hot water or drinks as she expected.

As the food was served, He Haoxuan immediately began introducing the dishes to Li Qingying, “Darling, this is whole foie gras, this is matsutake foie gras, beef tartare, cheese-baked scallops, French escargot, black pudding, and blue mussels. There's no rush, let's enjoy this slowly.”

Lin Shaozhen watched as He Haoxuan introduced the French dishes with the air of a connoisseur, her eyes widening in disbelief. “Waiter, tell me, is what he's saying correct?”

“He's absolutely right,” the waiter replied in fluent French.

Lin Shaozhen, not understanding a word, snapped angrily, “Can't you speak our language? Why are you using French?”

“Miss, didn't you ask me to speak French?” The waiter, seeing her displeasure, immediately switched to Chinese.

Hearing this, Lin Shaozhen's face flushed with embarrassment.

He Haoxuan paid no mind, continuing to explain to Li Qingying, “Darling, when you eat these blue mussels, use your fork to pick out the meat from the first shell, eat it, and then use that empty shell as a tool to pick out the rest.”

Liang Jie was startled when he heard this—he was just about to eat a mussel himself and had no idea how to go about it. Now, with He Haoxuan’s explanation, did he not look like a peasant?

“He Haoxuan, stop pretending to know what you don’t,” Liang Jie snapped.

But the German waiter interjected, “Sir, what Mr. He said is absolutely correct. That’s how we eat mussels in France.”

Liang Jie felt his face burning with humiliation.

Seeing Lin Shaozhen reaching for the scallops, He Haoxuan quickly moved the dish in front of Li Qingying. “Miss Lin, you rich folks eat French cuisine all the time, so let us try the scallops this time. This dish alone costs over five thousand.”

“What?” Liang Jie jumped up in shock. “He Haoxuan, stop exaggerating. The French scallops we usually eat are never this expensive.”

“These are different—they’re hand-harvested sea scallops, many times pricier than ordinary French scallops,” He Haoxuan said with a smile as he served Li Qingying a scallop.

The French waiter nodded to himself, thinking, “Mr. He did order the hand-harvested scallops. Divers go into the sea and pick out the best ones by hand, which is why they’re so expensive.”

He Haoxuan shot Liang Jie a glare. “Mr. Liang, if you can’t afford it, let this laborer pick up the bill.”

“Who says I can’t afford it?” Liang Jie shouted.

It was just a few thousand after all—he could manage it, given that his family’s business was worth hundreds of millions.

He Haoxuan pointed to the black pudding. “Darling, this dish is called 'Heaven and Hell.' Those who love it call it a delicacy from heaven; those who hate it call it food from hell.”

Liang Jie watched as He Haoxuan spoke so knowledgeably before Li Qingying, nearly coughing up blood in frustration. He had invited He Haoxuan to this dinner so he could show off, not so He Haoxuan could upstage him.

Li Qingying nodded and followed He Haoxuan’s instructions, finding the food truly delicious.

He Haoxuan then turned to the waiter, “How’s that bottle of red wine coming along?”

“It should be ready. Please wait a moment,” the waiter replied, heading to the back.

Soon, two servers returned pushing a small trolley, carrying only a single bottle of red wine—making it seem rather dramatic. Wasn’t it just a bottle of wine? Why did it take two people to bring it out? Was it gilded or something?

He Haoxuan took the wine and poured it only for himself and Li Qingying.

He tasted it, nodded, and said, “This wine is genuine.”

“Sir, please rest assured—all our food and wine here are authentic. If anything is fake, we’ll compensate tenfold,” the waiter declared.

After trying it, He Haoxuan offered some to Li Qingying, “Darling, have a taste. I just checked—it’s an ’82 Lafite.”

“What? 1982 Lafite!” Liang Jie’s face turned ghastly. “Waiter, your restaurant actually has such fine wine?”

Liang Jie regretted it now—if he’d known the sky restaurant had such expensive wine, he never would have let He Haoxuan order so freely.

The waiter nodded, “Yes, it’s the pride of our restaurant—there’s only one bottle, and it’s listed on the menu at five hundred thousand.”

“What? You let us order a bottle of wine worth half a million?” Lin Shaozhen leapt up, all composure gone.

“I asked you all at the time, and you nodded in agreement,” the waiter answered loudly. “We have security cameras; if you don’t believe me, you can check the footage.”

“That’s right—I even asked if you were paying, and you said yes. Waiter, if they run out without paying, there’ll be no one to settle the bill,” He Haoxuan said with a smile.

Try showing off now.

“How much is this meal in total?” Liang Jie’s voice trembled.

His family’s business might be worth hundreds of millions, but it wasn’t his. He could grit his teeth and accept a bill of tens of thousands, but spending hundreds of thousands on one meal—he’d rather die.

The waiter smiled. “Sir, we’ve already calculated it. Including the service charge, the total is 580,000. We accept cash or card.”

“He Haoxuan, give me that half-million Lafite! Stop drinking it!” Liang Jie cried, watching He Haoxuan and Li Qingying enjoying the ’82 Lafite, feeling his heart break.

“Enough. If you can’t afford it, just leave. Don’t try to show off in front of us—I’ll pay,” He Haoxuan said indifferently.

“Who says we can’t afford it? Our family is loaded!” Lin Shaozhen stood up, glaring at He Haoxuan. Then she turned to Liang Jie, “Honey, pay the bill now and put them to shame.”

“Shame you and your sister!” Liang Jie erupted, giving Lin Shaozhen a hard slap across the face, leaving five red finger marks. “If you want to show off, do it yourself! With fifty-some thousand, I could have a few beautiful college girls. If it weren’t for you wanting to flaunt here, would I be laughed at like this?”

Liang Jie was secretly relieved that this was Qingshan City and not Lanmen City—otherwise, he’d never be able to show his face in his circles again.

“You—you hit me?” Lin Shaozhen covered her face, crying in anger.

She’d always boasted to Li Qingying about how generous her husband was, willing to spend money on her. But now, for just a few hundred thousand, Liang Jie was unwilling—and he’d slapped her in front of everyone. How could she ever show her face among her classmates again?

Liang Jie dared not stay any longer. He stood up and rushed out. “I’m done with you. If you want to eat, stay and eat, but you’d better find a way to pay the bill yourself. If it weren’t for you, would I have been humiliated here?”